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Recently, my wife and I were on vacation in Stockholm, Sweden. Our tour guide was extolling the virtues of Sweden’s welfare state: free schooling, free healthcare, free assistance to parents of newborns, etc. Finally, my wife—who has an MBA from Pepperdine—could take it no longer. She asked what Sweden’s tax rates were, and, when told, pointed out that none of those services were free. They were bought and paid for by taxpayers. 

Taxes are a tricky subject. Some American Christians think we ought to raise taxes in order to provide more services for citizens, as they do in Sweden. Others think the government should pull its sticky paws out of American pockets so that citizens can spend their money as they wish. As a pastor, I don’t have any special wisdom about how to solve that debate (although I do have a strong personal opinion). Christians who share the same faith and live the same moral life can have an honest disagreement about such issues. 

What we cannot disagree about is our biblical responsibility to pay taxes, whether we like them or not. Romans 13.6-7 makes that quite clear: 

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 

Notice how what Paul says here about taxes flows directly from what he says in verses 1-5 about government. Government is the divinely instituted authority to make and enforce laws. Making and enforcing laws requires a lot of work. Workers should be paid. Payment is made in the form of taxes. So, if you want the government to do its job, pay up. 

But notice that taxes aren’t the only thing we Christians owe government. Paul also speaks of “respect” and “honor.” A good friend of mine is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. He faces danger daily in order to keep the city’s residents safe. He earns what he’s paid. He also deserves a little courtesy. Keep that in mind whenever a traffic cop pulls you over for a moving violation! You may just be talking to my friend. So be nice! 

It has always bugged me that Paul doesn’t spend more time in Romans 13 outlining a Christian view of the boundaries of government power. For example, wouldn’t you like a divinely inspired apostle to reveal what God thinks a fair tax rate is? I certainly would. But Paul isn’t concerned with those kinds of things. Why? For a very simple reason. 

Paul didn’t live in a democratic empire. He couldn’t vote on political issues, like we can. So, instead of talking about what he couldn’t control (tax rates), he talked about what he could (our personal attitude toward government). Even in a democratic country like America, we can’t always control what our government does, but we can always control ourselves.